Metal Master installs FJ33 engine in LAR-1 personal jet

Polish engineering company Metal Master has installed the Williams International FJ33-5A turbofan in the first conforming Flaris LAR-1 personal jet, and is preparing the five-seat single for engine ground runs this quarter.

Engineers from Williams’ US facilities are slated to arrive at Metal Master’s base in Podgórzyn, Poland, by the middle of March. They will assist with engine testing and help prepare the carbon fiber LAR-1 for its first flight before the end of June, the company says.

Testing of the aircraft’s Garmin G600 avionics is already under way. Metal Master is also assessing the LAR-1’s electrical and fuel systems, its electrohydraulic power unit and landing gear emergency extension system. The latter feature uses a hydraulic accumulator to lower the gear if the main system should fail, explains Metal Master, which is planning to open the orderbook for the €1.6 million (US$1.8 million) aircraft following its maiden sortie.

The all-composite aircraft will initially be validated under the Polish Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) S-1 experimental aircraft designation, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2017. A certificated version – approved to European CS-23 standards – is expected to follow in 2019.

Metal Master is also targeting the US market, where it will make its initial foray in the experimental category. “If our plan comes to fruition, the first one will soar the American skies next year,” said Metal Master. “We are aiming for [US Federal Aviation Administration] FAR 23 certification, which we hope to secure a few years after the first flight,” the company added.

The LAR-1 is projected to have a maximum take-off weight of 1,650kg (3,650 lb), a cruise speed of 380kts (700km/h), a stall speed of 62kts (115km/h) and a range of 1,350 nautical miles (2,500km). It will be targeted at numerous markets, including owner-flyer, air taxi, emergency medical services and surveillance. The aircraft will also be developed as an unmanned air vehicle.